Amalgam carrier and plugger



March 14, 1967 R. F. NovALEs AMALGAM CARRIER AND PLUGGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 27, 1963 R@ 0 mf W0 W F, y w l M March 14, 1967 Filed Aug. 2?, 1963 R. F. NOVALES AMALGAM CARRIER AND PLUGGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 viii;

1| l l il H uh INVENTOR.

@cupac F M01/afs BY United States Patent Office 3,308,537 Patented Mar. 14, 1967 3,308,537 AMALGAM CARRIER AND PLUGGER Ricardo Faustino Novales, 10 A Avenida, 4-34, Guatemala City 4, Guatemala Filed Aug. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 304,899 4 Claims. (Cl. 32-60) The present invention relates to dental instruments and in particular to a carrier for gutta-percha or amalgam or other filling material so that the material may be handled and presented to a cavity in a tooth by such instrument.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dental instrument which enables the user thereof to deposit illing material within a tooth, tamp the filling material into the tooth in one operation and without the use of another instrument.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a carrier for gutta-percha or the like which is readily sterilized, one having few parts, one having long life characteristics, and one which is highly effective in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention -will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the yannexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the instrument of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a partial elevational view on an enlarged scale showing the pin in the position for use,

FIGURE 3 is a view partially in section showing the assembly of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but with the sleeve extended to deposit filling material from the pin,

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the sleeve removed from the barrel, and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the pin with its supporting components removed from the barrel and sleeve.

Referring in detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the dental instrument of the present invention comprises a hollow handle 10 having a forwardly extending barrel 12 projecting from one end thereof. The barrel 12 includes an extension 14 formed with an arcuate curve and terminating in a nozzle 16, the free end of which is provided with a discharge opening 18.

The plunger is slidable into and out of the handle 10 remote from the barrel 12 and is provided with a thumb -or finger rest 22. The plunger 20 has one end remote from the linger rest 22 connected to a flexible shaft or cable 24 and the other end of the shaft or cable 24 is iixedly secured to a sleeve 26 slidably mounted within the nozzle 16.

The sleeve 26 is provided on each side with elongated closed ended slots 28 and a transversely extending pin 30 extends through the nozzle 16 and is slidably received in the slots 28.

The pin 30 limits the sliding movement of the sleeve 26 from a position normally within the barrel or nozzle 16 to a position projected from the nozzle 16 'as shown in FIGURE 4.

The pin 30 also supports in ixed relation with respect to the nozzle 16 the base portion 32 of a pin 34 which has an end portion slidable within an opening 36 in the end of the sleeve 26 remote from the handle 10.

When the sleeve 26 is in the normal position wholly within the nozzle 16, as in FIGURE 3, the pin 34 has a portion adjacent the free end thereof projecting outwardly of the sleeve 26. When the plunger 20 is depressed by the linger of the user the sleeve 26 moves forwardly out of the nozzle 16 to a position shown in FIGURE 4 in which the end of the sleeve is substantially contiguous to the free end of the pin 34 whereby any packing material or lling material carried on the pin 34 is moved by the sleeve 26 into the cavity of the tooth being worked upon.

Spring means is provided biasing the sleeve 26 toward the normal position wholly within the nozzle 16. This spring means consists in a coil spring 36 having one end anchored in the sleeve 26 and having the other end anchored in the adjacent end of the extension 14. The spring 36 is normally in the condition shown in FIG- URE 3 and is under tension when in the position shown in FIGURE 4.

A knurled nut 38 provides a means for detaching the nozzle 16 from the extension 14 in the conventional manner. Another nut 40, also knurled, provides a means for assembling the plunger 20 within the handle 10.

The sleeve 26 is formed of two parts 26 and 26" threadedly engaged together at 42 so that they may be readily assembled and disassembled as desired.

In use, with the instrument of the present invention in the normal position of FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 3, lan amount of filling material such as gutta-percha or the like, is placed upon the free end portion of the pin 32 and is treated by heat or other means so as to soften the same and is carried toward the cavity of the tooth of the person being treated. Upon depression of the plunger 20 the sleeve 26 moves out of the nozzle 16 to deposit the gutta-percha or other material into the cavity free of the attachment or support of the pin 34. The free end of the sleeve 26 may be employed to compact the lling material within the cavity as desired and in accordance with professional methods.

The tool or instrument of the present invention may be manufactured in such sizes as desired and while only a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, other embodiments are contemplated yand numerous changes and modications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1` In a dental instrument including a hollow handle having a forwardly extending nozzle terminating in a discharge opening, a sleeve slidable into and out of said nozzle opening between a normal position wholly within said nozzle to a position partially projected from said nozzle, said sleeve having a closed forward end with an aperture therein, a pin fxedly carried by said nozzle and disposed so as to project yand to extend beyond the end of the nozzle of said sleeve when said sleeve is in the within position and so as to be substantially totally within said sleeve when said sleeve is in the partially projected position, said sleeve having a lengthwise slot means for said pin to extend through the slot means and thus lanchoring the pin to the nozzle, and hand actuable means operatively connected to said barrel for elfecting the movement of said sleeve.

2. In a dental instrument including a hollow handle having a forwardly extending nozzle terminating in a discharge opening, a sleeve slidable into and out of said opening between a normal position wholly Within said nozzle to a position partially projected from said nozzle, said sleeve having a closed forward end with an aperture therein, .a pin fixedly carried by said nozzle and disposed so as to project exteriorly of said sleeve and to extend beyond the end of the nozzle when said sleeve is in the within position and so as to be substantially totally within said sleeve when said sleeve is in the partially projected position, said sleeve having a lengthwise slot means for said pin to extend through the slot means ,and thus anchoring the pin to the nozzle, and hand actuable means operatively connected to said barrel for effecting the movement of said sleeve, said means comprising a plunger slidable into and out of the end of said handle remote from said barrel, and means connecting said plunger to said sleeve.

3. In `a dental instrument including a hollow handle having a forwardly extending nozzle terminating in a discharge opening, a sleeve slidable into and out of said opening between a normal position Wholly within said nozzle to a position partially projected from said nozzle, said sleeve having -a closed forward end with an aperture therein, a pin ixedly carried by said nozzle and disposed so as to project exteriorly of said sleeve and to extend beyond the end of the nozzle when said sleeve is in the within position and so as to be substantially totally within said sleeve when said sleeve is in the partially projected position, said sleeve having a `lengthwise slot means for said pin to extend through the slot means and thus anchoring the pin to the nozzle, and hand actuable means operatively connected to said barrel for eecting the movement of said sleeve, said means comprising a plunger slidable into and out of the end of said handle remote .from said barrel, and exible means connecting said plunger to said sleeve.

4. In a dental instrument including a hollow handle having a forwardly extending nozzle terminating in a discharge opening, a sleeve slidable into and out of said opening between a normal position wholly within said nozzle to a position partially projected from said nozzle, said sleeve having a closed forward end with an aperture therein, a pin xedly carried by said nozzle and disposed so as to project exteriorly of said sleeve and to extend beyond the end of the nozzle when said sleeve is in the within position and so as to be substantially totally within said sleeve when said sleeve is in the partially projected position, said sleeve having a lengthwise slot means for said pin to extend through the slot means and thus anchoring the pin to the nozzle, Iand hand actuable means operatively connected to said barrel for electing the movement of said sleeve, said means -comprising a plunger slidable into and out of the end of said handle remote from said barrel, flexible means connecting said plunger to said sleeve, and spring means operatively connected to said plunger biasing said plunger to the normal position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 125,452 4/ 1872 Griswold 35-52 1,006,341 10/ 1911 Ammons 12S-264 1,712,139 5/ 1929 Espnola 32-60 2,573,547 10/ 1951 Crowell 32-60 FOREIGN PATENTS 332,122 l/ 1921 Germany.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

I. W. HINEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A DENTAL INSTRUMENT INCLUDING A HOLLOW HANDLE HAVING A FORWARDLY EXTENDING NOZZLE TERMINATING IN A DISCHARGE OPENING, A SLEEVE SLIDABLE INTO AND OUT OF SAID NOZZLE OPENING BETWEEN A NORMAL POSITION WHOLLY WITHIN SAID NOZZLE TO A POSITION PARTIALLY PROJECTED FROM SAID NOZZLE, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A CLOSED FORWARD END WITH AN APERTURE THEREIN, A PIN FIXEDLY CARRIED BY SAID NOZZLE AND DISPOSED SO AS TO PROJECT AND TO EXTEND BEYOND THE END OF THE NOZZLE OF SAID SLEEVE WHEN SAID SLEEVE IS IN THE WITHIN POSITION AND SO AS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY TOTALLY WITH SAID SLEEVE WHEN SAID SLEEVE IS IN THE PARTIALLY PROJECTED POSITION, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A LENGTHWISE SLOT MEANS FOR SAID PIN TO EXTEND THROUGH THE SLOT MEANS AND THUS ANCHORING THE PIN TO THE NOZZLE, AND HAND ACTUABLE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID BARREL FOR EFFECTING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SLEEVE. 